From the BBC today
Officers reprimanded over e-mail
An e-mail showing a man being decapitated has resulted in 140 Hertfordshire police officers and civilian staff being disciplined.
Eight police sergeants were given formal reprimands and seven civilian supervisors received final written warnings for distributing the message.
The e-mail, originating from the US, shows a black man being decapitated on railings after a pursuit by police.
A senior officer said the image could be perceived as racist and offensive.
The series of images, which show the pursued man being decapitated after jumping from a flyover, is entitled "Do not run from the police".
Disappointed by conduct
Hertfordshire Police mounted a five-month-long "robust" investigation into the distribution of the e-mail, under the supervision of the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
A total of 440 officers and staff at the force received it, 300 of whom deleted it. However, it was circulated by the other 140 who were at sergeant rank and below or of civilian grade.
Deputy Chief Constable Simon Ash said: "I am disappointed by the conduct of officers and staff who distributed this inappropriate image that some people may have perceived as being racist."
However, chairman of the Hertfordshire Police Federation Adam Kemp said he did not believe it was racist and staff had been dealt with for a breach of the force's internet security policy.
He said: "The email may have been perceived by others as racist but we have had so many differing opinions around this image.
"My own view is that the image itself is not racist but it's certainly inappropriate to be circulating it within a police force."
Alicia Moore, of Hertfordshire's Black Police Association, said the disciplinary sanctions were "appropriate".
"We see this outcome as an opportunity for us all to learn from the investigation and to be able to move on," she said.
President of the Black Police Association Keith Jarrett said disciplinary action should have gone further.
"I don't think a robust enough sanction has been taken against the officers concerned, especially the supervisory ones," he said.
"It is, at best, disrespectful to the black people that live in Hertfordshire."
Is this Jarrett character for real? Did it escape his notice that the Email came from the States. Methinks he s just jumping on band wagons
+

tony draper

28th Nov 2006, 19:01

Bloody hell,next thing yer know some prooners will be surfing proon at work.
The link from one of those decapitation clips was also posted on proon and a couple of other websites I know,generaly they were quickly removed.
Let him without sin ect ect.
:rolleyes:

eal401

28th Nov 2006, 19:23

next thing yer know some prooners will be surfing proon at work.
And in the process probably breaking IT usage policies.

Just as these police officers most likely were.

Capt. Queeg

28th Nov 2006, 19:27

Racist?

So if you're black and you do the Harry Holt from the pigs, jump over a fence and get yaself beheaded by a train, anyone who watches the subsequent video is a racist......??

in the process probably breaking IT usage policies.Must be a good speed camera or pilot-hating whinge going somewhere.......??? :zzz:

Mac the Knife

28th Nov 2006, 21:16

I got those piccies from a mate ages ago. They don't show him BEING decapitated, just his head in a railing spike with his body below looking a bit lonely.

'E looks sorter peaceful like (at least 'is 'ead does)

MarcJF

28th Nov 2006, 21:20

Would there have been all this fuss if the 'victim' was white?

matt_hooks

28th Nov 2006, 21:30

Yeah, the lazy feckers sitting on their butts surfing the internet all day 'stead of going out and doing some policing! Total waste of time!

As for the emails, so the **** what? I wouldn't particularly mind getting something like that, I'd take a look then delete it. I don't find pictures of peoples misery particularly amusing.

Sending things like that on computers payed for by the public, wasting system resources that might actually be used for, god forbid, fighting crime is a different issue entirely.

You think we could get em prosecuted for wasting police time? As a copper, can you be prosecuted for wasting your own time? Hmmmm, I wonder!

BlooMoo

28th Nov 2006, 22:51

And in the process probably breaking IT usage policies.

Just as these police officers most likely were.

Yikes, that sounds like a kind of 'kick-arse-no-sh!t-tolerated-here-don't-do-it-again-coz-otherwise-I'll-really-disapprove' kind of lesson. Don't know about anyone else but I for one will NEVER EVER breach 'IT usage policy' in future.

BM:eek:

PS Wind up, yes?

eal401

29th Nov 2006, 07:08

PS Wind up, yes?
The point I was really trying to make is what difference is it that police officers are involved? People in my company have been sacked for sending porn images around, (or sacked for stupidity - depends on your view) whilst the "racist" accusation is just political correctness, the subject email in this case could very easily be considered inappropriate for the work environment.

Whirlygig

29th Nov 2006, 08:01

Would there have been all this fuss if the 'victim' was white?
Yes. Possibly more "fuss" as you call it.

Images of violence such as these have no place in the office (to my mind they have no place at all). Whether the victim was black is irrelevant and the racism card was not the right card for this argument, I think the staff in question deserved to be disciplined. As eal401 says, it is not appropriate for the workplace.

Cheers

Whirls

Saintsman

29th Nov 2006, 08:03

Its interesting that several of the officers who were disiplined were themselves black. Funny how they didn't think it was racist.

jayteeto

29th Nov 2006, 08:28

We (merseyside police) had a very public clampdown on inappropriate e-mails about 18 months ago. People were sacked and many others were given 'final' warnings. This story is nothing specific to police, inappropriate use of e-mails is relevant to any company, regardless of size and is not acceptable. Everything now goes through filters, which brings in its own problems..... for example, a statement was sent via the secure system after a man was arrested for public order offences. The statement rightly listed what the man said, word for word. The filter would not let the statement through because it contained offensive words!!!!

419

29th Nov 2006, 09:04

"My own view is that the image itself is not racist but it's certainly inappropriate to be circulating it within a police force."

IMO, what IS racist is:
President of the Black Police Association Keith Jarrett

terryJones

29th Nov 2006, 11:44

One way of looking at it of course, in a way it was 'Appropriate' emails.
It was not for example, Melinda Messenger 'getting em out', it was not porn, or even dramatic cross wind landings, it was in fact a POLICE chase, circulated to POLICE officers...

tony draper

29th Nov 2006, 12:18

Newsnight last night Paxman asked the The black police officers representitive the question,if it had been a white man staring in the clip would it have been racist?.
No it would not, came the reply but it still would have been in very bad taste,also reveled was that three quarters of the recipients deleted this email unopened but why spoil a good story.
:rolleyes: